Garden bird feeding supports urban wildlife through winter but requires appropriate food and hygiene to maximise welfare benefit without causing harm.
Supplementary garden feeding provides genuine welfare benefit to individual birds during food scarcity, but poorly managed feeding can spread disease, cause dietary harm, and create dependency without nutritional adequacy. Using appropriate species-specific foods, maintaining feeder hygiene, and providing water alongside food maximises welfare benefit. Stopping feeding abruptly in winter causes welfare harm to birds dependent on the resource.